Sir: Trust the Taliban to make a bad situation worse. They have declared that they will execute a captive US soldier if the recently convicted Dr Aafia Siddiqui is not released. The poor lady now has practically no chance of getting the verdict overturned on appeal. If there were any doubts in the minds of the Americans that she was linked to terrorism, this stupid statement by the Afghan Taliban would remove them. Even if the lady’s family asked them for help in getting her released, they should have remained silent. But having IQs of 10-yeal old children, they demanded that the female neuroscientist should be set free, failing which they would kill the US soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, who is in their custody. It almost seems as if they want the Americans to react negatively and the lady to get maximum punishment under the law.